I am due to start chemo for bowel and liver cancer on the 9th Sep. I already have some neuropathy in my feet due to diabetes.
My oncologist has warned me that it might get worse, but didn't go into much detail as to what 'worse' meant.
So im looking for advice from anyone who is/has been in a similar situation and can be a bit more descriptive as to what to expect.
Should I invest in buying the cold gloves & socks?
Thanks
Hello Bambina,
I've had two different courses of chemotherapy for different cancers, one in 2014 and the other in 2024. The first gave me neuropathy in my feet and hands / fingers quite badly but the second was much better, although I did have minor effects in my fingers.
I think the answer to your question is as your consultant says - the neuropathy might get worse but it is impossible to tell to what extent until you start the course. It affects different people to different extents and we usually don't know until we've had a couple of cycles.
You might like to defer the gloves and socks just now and buy them if / when you need them?
I wish you all the best for successful and event free treatment.
Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm
Hi Bambina
I have chemo induced peripheral neuropathy. I don’t have diabetes. It built very slowly, just tingling in the fingers and toes, but continued to creep after treatment had stopped. It hasn’t gone away. I had bought ice gloves and socks, but found them too impractical for the long sessions involved. I do wish I had persevered. By the time you notice it is getting worse, it may be too late. As I found, it doesn’t always roll back.
Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm
I am a Macmillan volunteer.
I have metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer, in remission
Hi Bambina
You may wish to join the bowel support group as there are lots of discussions there from members who’ve experienced neuropathy with the chemo they’ve had. Lots of members there also discuss spread to the liver from the bowel, so you should get some helpful responses if you specify which chemo regime you will be having. This is the link to join the group
We also have a group for secondary liver cancer, and the link is here
If you post in these groups, you’ll then be able to connect with others with the same type of cancer going through the same chemo and I hope you’ll find that helpful.
Sarah xx
